![](https://fleet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CTS-23-BANNER-J.jpg")
Overall in 2019, demand for new commercial vehicles across the European Union (EU) increased by +2.5%, marking the seventh consecutive year of growth. According the ACEA, the governing body for the European automotive industry, each of the major country markets ended the year on a positive note: Germany (+6.1%), France (+4.3%), the United Kingdom (+3.0%), Italy (+1.9%) and Spain (+0.3%).
New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5t
Last year, new van registrations totalled 2.1 million units across the EU, up 2.8% compared to 2018. The introduction of WLTP for vans in September pulled forward registrations during the summer months, which subsequently slowed down from September to November. However, that effect eased in December, with demand for vans going up again. The five big markets all posted gains last year, with Germany (+6.9%) and France (+4.5%) making a particularly important contribution.
New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) of 16t +
During 2019, heavy-truck registrations across the EU remained more or less stable compared to 2018 due to the growth recorded in the first half of 2019. With the exception of Italy (-7.7%), all key markets posted gains last year: the UK (+9.2%), Spain (+2.8%), France (+2.1%) and Germany (+1.9%).
New medium and heavy commercial vehicles over 3.5t
2019Â ended positively for the EU truck market (+0.9%), despite the slowdown observed in the second half of the year. The United Kingdom (+9.5%), Germany (+4.2%), France (+1.5%) and Spain (+1.1%) all performed better than in 2018. Italy (-7.6%) was the only key market with falling demand.
New medium and heavy buses & coaches over 3.5t                                                                                                                                      Â
In 2019, new bus and coach registrations expanded by +1.8% across the European Union, despite the negative performance of the segment during the second half of the year. It is worth noting that the Central European countries gave a strong boost (+5.1%) to the full-year total. Among the major Western European markets, only France (+8.8%) made a positive contribution to the region’s growth.